Internet Voting: Increasing Accessibility and Participation of Overseas Filipino Voters in Philippine Elections

Abstract

It is an undeniable fact that overseas Filipinos living and working abroad keep the economy afloat with their dollar and/or foreign currency remittances. Most of them sacrifice being away from their loved ones, even enduring harsh work and living conditions just so they may be able to provide for their families back here in the Philippines. It is therefore important for the government to uphold the protection of their rights and push for better conditions, which includes upholding their right to vote, at anytime and wherever they may be. However, even with the enactment of the Overseas Absentee Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9184), as amended by Republic Act 10590 (Overseas Voting Act of 2012) overseas voter turnout has remained constantly low despite efforts the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA),to employ several methods since 2004, from manual to postal to automated to field voting, and to a combination of all options in the 2013 and 2016 national elections, to improve participation of overseas voters in Philippine elections. This Capstone paper shall provide policy options that address the problem of low voter turnout in the conduct of overseas voting by addressing the inherent complexities (mobility and work conditions) of casting the ballot through the use of INTERNET VOTING. It shall show vital data of worldwide and countrywide internet penetration, its ease of use and how it can make elections as accessible to all. Other countries’ experiences with using internet voting, specifically Estonia, Canada, and Ukraine, shall show that previous issues on security, transparency, and verifiability have and can readily be resolved and addressed using current technologies. The 2007 Singapore pilot test and the December 2017 Hong Kong simulation-demonstration of internet voting participated in by Filipino overseas voters, as well as the survey conducted among them, show off their acceptance and preparedness to use internet voting. The policy options shall be evaluated using their compliance to the following criteria: effectivity (increasing the accessibility factor), legal/political and administrative feasibility, efficiency, social equity, and acceptability (trust factor). Further, Richard Thaler’s Nudge Theory, and reducing information asymmetry in casting one’s vote through creation of TRUST (Gosain 2009 Model of Acceptance of Peer Support), shall be used to demonstrate which policy will be more advantageous to all stakeholders involved in the conduct of elections. Among the proposed strategic policy options, to wit: (a) Option 1: IMPROVE STATUS QUO, improvement of voting processes and delivery of automated ballots to the overseas voters; (b) Option 2:Amend automation law and overseas voting law to authorize the COMELEC to use internet voting as one of the methods for overseas voting (OPTIONAL/SUPPLETORY); and (c) Option 3: Amend automation law and overseas voting law to authorize the COMELEC to use internet voting as MANDATORY with valid exceptions such as in areas/posts where internet is restricted or not readily available, it is revealed that Option 3 (MANDATORY internet voting) is most recommended and ideal as it appears to comply with most of the policy criteria: faster, more accurate, verifiable results, using the least resources at the least cost. To bolster and serve as a tactical approach in providing foran additional foundation for the immediate enactment of the internet voting law, it is also proposed that parallel pilot tests on internet voting to be participated in and collaborated into by all crucial stakeholders (COMELEC, DFA, Congress, Department of Information and Communications Technology, National Privacy Commission, IT groups, overseas voters) should be conducted during the 2019 midterm elections, in certain posts overseas, and to a certain class of overseas voters (seafarers);the results of which shall be submitted to Congress for consideration. The COMELEC should also consider hiring an IT security expert in coming up with the Technical Specifications for the procurement of the internet voting system for the said pilot test. This parallel pilot test shall employ real-time authentication measures and safeguards such as identity verification through biometrics (facial recognition and/or thumb mark) and may work seamlessly and complementarily with the proposed national ID system, one of the priority projects of President Duterte’s administration. From 400,000 registered voters in 2004 to close to 2 million registered overseas Filipino voters by 2019, the impact of the overseas vote can readily shape the results of the elections and greatly influence their respective families here in the Philippines. They have access to some of the best internet services all around the world giving them adequate reason to participate in Philippine elections through an innovative means that is the internet.